Remembering Vidal Sassoon, 1928 – 2012

Long before the era of the celebrity hairstylist, Vidal Sassoon—who died yesterday at 84—was a household name, pioneering the modern American hairstyle. He created the first wash-and-go cuts, liberating women from the time-consuming, super-sprayed styles of the '50s. Sassoon opened his first London salon in 1954 leading to his collaboration with mother of the mod era, clothing designer Mary Quant. Motivated by clean, geometric lines, the “Sassoon bob” became the rage of the swinging '60s. In 1968 he sheared Mia Farrow’s locks into her signature pixie for her role in Rosemary’s Baby. He also co-wrote one of the first healthy lifestyle books, “A Year of Beauty and Health,” which became a bestseller in 1975. The '80s saw the development of his eponymous hair care line with the famous tag line, “If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.” In a BBC radio interview Sassoon said, “I woke up [in the hospital] one night smiling, I swear. And I thought, I’ve had the best adventure you could possibly have, for a kid that started from nowhere...So if I have to go now, I’m ready.”